Newport Today on the Riverside

In the 18th & 19th Century, and to a small degree to the present day, the River Usk has been a provider to the Community of Newport. Dozens of wharves shipping coal iron and steel lined the river banks from the town reach to the sea. Millions of tons of goods and produce passed through the port via the river. The Usk has been a highway for trade for nearly 2000 years, providing a route to Roman Caerleon and latterly Newport Castle and the first Town Dock. Little remains of the River's Heritage apart from the murky tide making it's twice daily visit. Yet after years of neglect and uncertainty, the river banks are alive once more. regeneration, the like of which has not been known before is transforming the banks of the Usk, making Newport once again a most desirable place to live.

On the doorstep - our new look at things to do, which wont cost a lot and will take you out of the chaos of City life for a few hours, restoring brain, head and equilibrium.

This one is simple and good. Newport is the perfect central point for touring , overseas visitors should be encouraged here because the stunning and the beautiful is less than a tenner away.

get yoursef to the Transporter Bridge. Not working at the moment, but never mind. Head for the A48, but take the turning sign posted Nash and Goldcliffe just two miles from the bridge. Carry on down the lanes across the levels , there are some very good pubs down here which offer good food as well as a fair pint (If your not at the wheel). Signs to the Newport Wetland Centre will soon be in evidence, but we are not looking at that today. Carry on until the village of Nash where you will meet a T Junction saying Sea Wall 1/2 a mile. get the jam jar pointing in that direction and leap out out when you smell the salt water. Its a dead end so you have little choice. The view is stunning, its remote, its silent. Its a battery charge and less than 10 miles from the centre of the City. best look at this at low tide, it does get busy if there is an angling match going on. But again its still a cheap tonic and a breath of the fresh stuff. The round trip , about 18 miles. Follow the signs back to Newport and you will join the A48 at Langstone. Carry on and rejoin the madness suitably refreshed. TIPS. Nothing to spend money on, take a flask or a picnic. No Toilets, top up the sea when no one is looking.